


From the Look of Mischief in Your Eyes

by musiclily88



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: American set, Bullied Liam Payne, Confusion, Developing Relationship, Glow-up, M/M, Multi, mall
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:09:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25817824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musiclily88/pseuds/musiclily88
Summary: "I thoughtIwas your boyfriend."
Relationships: Liam Payne/Harry Styles, Liam Payne/Louis Tomlinson
Kudos: 3





	From the Look of Mischief in Your Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> This is goofy. I literally had a dream about it and it basically was a rom-com but then I made it even gayer.

Louis and Liam exit Spencer’s at the Willowbrook Mall, both of them clutching small plastic shopping bags, laughter light on their lips.

“I can’t believe you _bought_ that,” Liam says breathlessly, slapping one palm to his chest as he curls an arm over Louis’ shoulder, cuddling him in.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never wanted to own a vibrating cock ring,” Louis replies, ducking away as he flicks his hair away from his eyes.

“Jesus. Fine.” Liam rolls his eyes, curling his arms back around himself self-consciously.

Louis sighs. “Gay gasp, Leemo, don’t think I’ve ever heard you swear.”

“I _swear,”_ he says as they round into the food court.

“Guess I trust you. Ooh, Orange Julius!” Louis raises one fist in the air and bounds sideways before Liam can catch him.

“Liam?” comes a voice from their right.

They both turn, spotting a table where a cluster of their classmates are sitting. “Harry?”

A long-haired lanky guy waves at them with one large hand. They guy next to him shoots them all quizzical looks. “You know him?” he mutters, face going impassive as he crosses his arms over his chest.

“Ye-yes, Zayn, you idiot. He’s my boyfriend.”

“What?” Zayn crows, arms immediately falling to his sides.

“What?” Louis also crows. “I thought _I_ was your boyfriend!”

“Uh.”

A dish-water blond guy falls bodily out of his chair, cackling. As soon as he catches his breath, he says, “This isn’t gonna end well.”

“Shut up, Niall,” Zayn sighs.

:

The next few minutes involve a lot of snickering, awkward eye contact, and zero conversation. They wordlessly move to a more secluded area of the food court, just adjacent to a fountain. Niall immediately sits on the middle of a bench, crossing one leg over the other. He looks expectantly at everyone else. He gestures widely for everyone else to sit. “By all means,” he says, as though holding court.

“Magnanimous of you,” Harry replies, draping himself over the ledge of the fountain, one leg bent up so he can lean an arm against his knee. He affects a casual facial expression, but his biceps and jaw are tight.

Zayn walks over to sit by him, leaning their backs against one another. He stretches his legs out in front of him, placing his hands on his upper thighs. He idly rips at the hole in his skinny jeans.

Niall pats the bench on each side of him, eyeing Liam and Louis in turn. “Who the fuck even are you?” Louis asks, stock-still as he watches Liam sit down next to him stiffly.

“Niall.” He holds his hand out, leaning forward.

“Who shakes hands anymore?” Regardless, he walks towards Niall to shake his hand. “Louis.”

“Cool. That’s Zayn and Harry.” He thumbs over his shoulder. “And would anyone like to tell me what the fuck is going on?”

They all turn to look at Liam.

“Uh, so.” He swallows visibly. “I’m Liam. And it’s like this.”

::

Maybe it was little wonder that they simultaneously know him and don’t know him, because just one-ish year ago he was nigh unrecognizable, in his own opinion. He was scrawny, always getting bullied, worried to distraction about what others thought of him.

His sisters loudly suggested that he straighten his hair, and his dad quietly suggested that he take up boxing and track.

The progression was slow, but he eventually gained two inches in height and at least ten pounds in muscle. This led to two things: difficult people leaving him alone, and interested people paying attention to him.

The trouble was, and the trouble is, he had and still has no idea what to do with the positive attention.

:

Harry chuckles softly, without menace. “It’s not an AA meeting, hon.”

Louis whips his head around to glare at Harry. “Dude.”

Liam groans, dropping his head down between his knees. “The thing is, I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.”

Harry exhales sharply. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you swear before!”

“That’s what I said!” Louis adds triumphantly.

“This is too entertaining,” Zayn mutters, possibly only to himself. “I feel like I need to go buy popcorn.”

“There’s a stand over there,” Niall adds, waving vaguely in front of him, looking raptly at Liam. “You okay, bud?”

“Hey, wait, wait, weren’t you in my freshman bio class?” Zayn adds.

“This is what I’ve been trying to say!” Liam lurches backwards, nearly tipping off the bench.

“Whoa there, cowboy.”

“I’m not a cowboy!” he responds, throwing his hands into the air. “I was nothing. Like. No one—like no one noticed me unless they were bullying me, and even then it was just—shit. And _don’t_ say you’ve never heard me swear, because you all now officially have.”

“Wasn’t gonna,” Louis and Harry chime simultaneously, voices pitched just a bit too high.

“You—I mean, you only noticed me once I got hot.”

“Um?” Louis tips his head to the side, clicking his tongue.

“Excuse me, Liam.” Harry sighs. “You’ve always been hot. It’s only you who hasn’t thought that you are.”

“For once, he makes a valid point,” Zayn says, raising a finger in the air.

“I always make valid points. Also, rude. Also, if you think you’re not hot, what the fuck am I even doing here? Are you questioning my taste?”

“I kind of am,” Niall says, shrugging one shoulder up. “No offence.”

“I’m a little offended, actually,” Liam replies.

“You don’t get to be offended right now, friend,” Zayn says.

“You don’t get to call me _friend,_ dickhead. You were one of the people bullying me. _Always_ bullying me. And I absolutely get to be offended.”

“I—I don’t—”

“Course you don’t. Of course. No one does.” Liam scoffs. “No one remembers.” He heaves a sigh. “Right. This is pointless.”

He heads to the elevator, leaving the four of them to stare at one another, bewildered.

“What the fuck,” Niall asks.

“What the fuck, indeed.” Harry agrees.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: musiclily


End file.
